Systems for remotely controlling lighting, for example in the home or office environment, have been gaining popularity as automation systems have developed. Known systems to provide remote control of lighting are, however, inconvenient for a number of reasons.
Systems such as the WeMo® Switch provided by Belkin™ provide a remote controllable switch that plugs into a wall socket. Appliances, such as a lamp, can then be plugged into the switch to provide remote control over the appliance via WiFi. However, such systems cannot be used with mains wired lighting systems, and require a bulky socket mountable wireless switch.
Other systems provide the remote control components within the light source. For example, UK patent GB 2478139 describes a system in which a wireless dimmer device is incorporated into a light-emitting component, such that a remote control can be used to implement wireless remote control of the dimmer device. This requires more complicated and expensive light sources, and limits the user's choice on suitable lighting.
It is also known to provide remote control units that can be used to control mains wired light sources in addition to a light switch. An issue with such systems is that both the remote control unit and a physical light switch can be used to instruct a controller to turn the light source on or off. This can lead to confusion of the user, since the light switch will not have a definitive “on” or “off” setting when used in conjunction with the remote control. In this circumstance it is normal for the physical light switch to have no defined on or off position, such as the two way manual switch of the sort shown in FIG. 1, which is biased to a centre position. Pressing the switch actuator one way (conventionally in the downward direction for wall mounted switches) turns the light on; pressing the actuator in the other direction turns the light off. Whenever the switch is pressed it returns to a centre biased position so that if the user, in parallel, turns the lights on or off with a remote device, they are not confused by the mechanical state of the physical switch. The user then knows which way to press the switch to turn the light source on or off, even when the light source has been activated or deactivated remotely in between using the manual switch.
Such systems present a safety issue, however. If the user needs to change a light bulb, because the bulb has failed or is otherwise defective, there is no way to be certain that the electric supply to the light is definitely off. The user will not know for certain whether power is being supplied to the light fitting or not without turning the power off at the main fuse or relay box for the building. Even if the user turns the light off by a remote application there is still the chance that another user may enable it remotely, or that there may be some form of system timer or event that may try to turn the switch on.
What is needed is an easily installed and safer remote control system for mains wired lighting controllable both by a remote control mechanism and a manual switch.